Prizes & Honors in Philosophy: Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada

In this fifth feature of our #prizes in philosophy series, we take a look at the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada — an honor granted by the Royal Society of Canada, on an annual basis, for their “remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life”. Created in 1882 by Canada’s Governor General Marquis of Lorne and incorporated in 1883 by a statute of the Parliament of Canada, over 3700 scholars have since been inducted into the fellowship — 300 of whom have been women. The Royal Society of Canada is the “oldest and most esteemed scholarly organization” in Canada — it is Canada’s National Academy.

“The object of the Society shall be to promote learning and intellectual accomplishments of exceptional quality. The Society recognizes remarkable contributions in the arts, humanities and sciences, as well as in Canadian public life.” — Mission Statement, 1883 Statute (accessible here).

There are no list or categorized breakdown by field of fellows of the Royal Society of Canada that can be found. While there is a general search directory to locate individuals honored with the fellowship, more work needs to be done to locate and organize this information. Here are some select known Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada in the field of philosophy as well an honorable mention to the Society’s first inducted woman.

Select Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

Dr. Ronald Beiner, Fellow (2006)

Dr. Will Kymlicka, Fellow (2003)

Dr. Ian Hacking, Fellow (1986)

Dr. Charles Taylor, Fellow (1975)

Dr. Alice Wilson, Fellow (1938)

While the structure of the Society has modernized over the year (see here for the history), the society now elects ups to 75 nominees each year in four categories of fellowship: (i) Honorary Fellows, (ii) Regularly Elected Fellows, (iii) Specially Elected Fellows and (iv) Foreign Fellows — up to 4 nominees each year may be selected. The Society not only recognizes and nominates fellows but also organizes events that “promote Canadian culture” via “multilateral organizations”, “universities” and “academies” as well as “advise governments and organizations through the provision of expert reports that address matters of national urgency from an interdisciplinary perspective”. For more information about the nomination process and ceremonies, click here. Nominations are open between September 1st to December 1st.